The Texas Rangers are coming off a series win against the division rival Houston Astros and are climbing back into the race for the final wild card playoff spot in the American League.
Texas took down the Astros in two of the three games in this series and has now found itself back in the hunt for a spot in the postseason, trailing the Seattle Mariners by only 1.5 games for the final spot in the AL.
Currently sitting with a record of 74-70, the Rangers have only 18 games remaining in the regular season and must continue this stretch of solid performances to give themselves a chance to make the postseason.
Realistically, the Rangers trail the Mariners by 2.5 total games as Seattle holds the season tiebreaker, meaning Texas must finish at least one full game ahead to claim the final spot in the postseason.
These standings also include the Rangers trailing the Astros by four games for the divisional lead, meaning there is still a path for this team to claim the division title.
Moving forward, the Rangers will likely have to put together an impressive record in the final stretch of the season, though nothing is guaranteed with a difficult end to the season set to commence.
Texas will begin a three-game home series against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday at 7:05 p.m., which is set to be an incredibly tough matchup with the Brewers currently boasting the best record in the MLB at 89-55.
Following that series, the Rangers will hit the road for two straight road series against the New York Mets and Houston Astros, with both of those teams looking to maintain their spots in the playoffs with wins over Texas.
Finally, the Rangers will end the year with three straight three-game series against the Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Guardians.
While none of these wins will come easily for the Rangers, each of these teams could be out of the playoff picture and will pose a far easier challenge than the team’s next three upcoming series.